A love story between a boy and his pet(?) snail. Pipin, a 100,000 year old immortal god, is certain that Su Yulin is destined for greatness. But, where are his otherworldly treasures? His heavenly chakra? His immortal mentor who will teach him the secrets of godly cultivation? Hey, Fates, what are you doing! If you won't step in, then it's up to this snail to accompany him to immortality! Author's Message "I, a Water Snail, Accompanying the Immortal Hero" is a xianxia/xuanhuan-inspired romance story. I mainly focus on building characters and relationships, presenting a tale which contains lightheartedness, comedy, training, and occasional drama. We see the story through the eyes of Pipin, an immortal snail who has lived a sheltered and naive life. Pipin meets Yulin, a young teenager who is a textbook example of any famous cultivator in his youth. Intrigued by the idea of being in a heart-pounding cultivation story, Pipin accompanies Yulin in snail form, becoming the cultivator's rather unorthodox pet beast. I write rather slowly, so this story may take a while to finish. I'll occasionally post drawings of the characters whenever the mood strikes me. As an inexperienced writer it's very rough, but I hope I can get some feedback on the story's development. None of my friends are into xianxia... I can only depend on you guys! T__T Since this story is still being written, I may occasionally go back and make edits to posted chapters. When that happens and it's a major point, I'll be sure to add a note at the start of new chapters to inform you of the changes. Table of Contents Chapter 1: The 100,000 Year Old Water Snail Chapter 2: To Lamane City Chapter 3: Afraid of Snakes? Chapter 4: I Got Bored Chapter 5: A Matter of Reputation Chapter 6: The Fourth Elder of Ash Mountain Sect Chapter 7: The Sixth Origo Junior Cultivator Tournament Chapter 8: Opportunity after a Loss ----- Now also posting on RRL and Wordpress.
Chapter 1: The 100,000 Year Old Water Snail The thick and eerie moonlight shone brightly on a clearing in a vast and ancient forest. A young human boy, between perhaps six and sixteen years, fiercely pounded his fists against an enormous boulder. I had placed the boulder here for the boy to use as practice. It had only been a few weeks, but already cracks had formed. At this rate, he would pulverize this boulder in only a few more months… I sighed. Being the lazy snail I was, I grew tired from just thinking about carving out another boulder. However, if this boy were to keep knocking down trees for practice like he did before, it would be even more troublesome. I unhurriedly rearranged my resting spot on top of a tree. Laying here was really not as comfortable as sleeping in my damp and snug little spring cave, but I wanted to keep an eye on this human child. Somehow this boy had roused the interest of this hundred thousand year old me, called the laziest and most apathetic immortal of all the realms. I had been sleeping comfortably in my cave’s water pool, as I had for the past nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine years, when boom! Crash! Thud! A great fervor disturbed my sleeping. The first time, I simply flipped over and went back to sleep. And when I did… Boom! Crash! Thud! I flipped over again. Boom! Crash! Thud! One more time… Boom! Crash! Thud! Eventually, I crawled out of my cave to take a peek at whichever meddlesome being disturbed my slumber. To my surprise, it was this young child. He was only a bit smaller than I, with inky black hair and fiery gold eyes. His tattered clothing clearly marked him as a peasant child from some nearby farming village, yet his comportment and expression showed a dignity far beyond his status. Not only that, he had toppled over the ten-thousand year trees with just his bare fists! While I had no contact with humans before, even I knew that they were too weak to perform such a feat without advanced cultivation. Humans, with their short lifespans, could only very rarely cultivate to this level. For this young boy to reach such a stage by himself, a small ripple of shock had flowed through me. Still, I had been annoyed to have been woken by this kind of ruckus, so in my anger I ripped out a chunk of mountain and dropped it in the field to keep the boy from reaching the larger trees. I then returned to my cave in a huff, and sank back down to my pool to sleep. But for some reason, I had become restless. No matter how much I tossed and turned, I couldn’t fall back asleep again. Was it that I had slept too much? Was my organ for storing sleep already filled? I had never before been unable to fall asleep. A bit panicked, I ended up crawling back out to wander and work off some energy. It was then that I saw the boy again. This time, he started using the rock to train his fists. His tiny hands struck the rock again and again, blood and sweat pouring down, his stern face unknowing of the pain his body surely must have felt. I found myself watching the boy in a rapture, astounded by how much effort he put into his training. From then on, I had watched this boy train. Several years had passed since then. I changed my resting spot from the cave to this tree, and my naps lasted for only a few hours or days instead of thousands of years as they had before. I took it upon myself to place new boulders whenever the boy ground down the old ones, and watched as the boy sprouted from a tiny human to a young man whose height surpassed mine. His body filled with muscle, strength lining his thin frame, and his stoic, pointy face grew a bit of magnetism. He was a fine example of humanity. Looking at the biographical novels which my elder sister had brought me, this boy was an exact illustration of those human immortals who started low and ended with powers above the skies. I had great hopes for the future of this young man, and was a bit thrilled to think that, in my own small way, this lazy and sheltered snail me had been involved in such an exciting and passionate story. My keen eyes observed his cultivation leap from second rank of mortal cultivation, to third, to fourth, to fifth. Now, he was at the peak of the fifth rank, teetering on the cusp of sixth. I think that, by the end of tonight’s training, he would definitely break through. The boy also realized this. He ended his physical training and sat down for his meditation routine. At this stage, I waved my hand and agitated the spiritual power in the area, making the density thicker than was natural. It only took the tiniest bit of effort from me but had significant effects on the speed of his cultivation, as if he were sitting not in an open forest clearing but an enclosed cultivation haven. Since he was just sitting and channeling power, it was a bit boring for me to watch, so I closed my eyes and rested. Hum hum… I lightly dozed for a few hours. The faint sound of screams reached my ears. I jolted awake, quickly expanding my spiritual sense to search for the cause of this noise. I saw the tiny mite-like flames of bandits raiding the nearby village, and the bright spark of the boy rushing back. Oh, it seems the tribulation has come. In all of the novels, the immortals wrote about how in their youth they encountered some traumatic and terrible event which pushed them past the limits of human cultivation. Sworn revenge was the top motivator for humans to cultivate to immortal power. It seemed that such an event had finally come for this little fighter. I stepped off the tree and floated away. In what was only an instant for humans, I reached the village and watched it from above. Houses lit on fire, bloodthirsty bandits wielding their weapons, terrified peasants stumbling as they attempted to flee for their lives… Hey, wasn’t this a bit too brutal… With an awkward expression I watched one disgraceful bandit chase after a beautiful woman, his intentions written clearly on his face. That woman whose appearance was like a fairy was the young boy’s mother. The father had gone a long time ago, and it was only this loving mother who raised the steadfast and determined young cultivator. If something were to happen to her, the boy would surely swear deathly revenge against the entire kingdom. With this motivating him, the boy would rise at a speed beyond mortal comprehension, topple countries and wreak havoc in the mortal plane before finally ascending to the heavens as an immortal. Or so the stories go. The mother struggled fiercely to escape, knocking over wood piles and throwing pots. She even brandished a pole against the soldier in a last-ditch attempt to beat him off. But obviously, this weak and frail woman wasn’t a match for a fierce bandit. The craven man gripped the pole and yanked it out of her hands, laughing cruelly as he reached out his hands to restrain her… Ah, I really can’t bear to watch this. Sorry, young boy. I’ll make it up to you, but for now you’ll have to cultivate without a reason for revenge. With just a press of my consciousness, I tore the man into the air and crushed him into a tiny, compact ball. He fell to the ground with a light smack. I did the same to all the other bandits in the area, including the leader who sat on horseback. When its rider disappeared, the confused horse stamped its foot and tossed its head around. The boy had arrived just at the right time to witness this. He stood, shocked, mouth gaping and eyes wide, then hurriedly snapped back to himself and searched for his mother. At this time, I felt guilty. Even though I disposed of the bandits in the end, there were a few villagers who had been injured before I acted. Well, if I was going to interfere, I should go all the way, I told myself. So I landed in front of the boy’s shaken mother. She looked with wide and frightened eyes at the me who fell from the sky, then pressed herself to the ground in a kowtow. “This servant thanks the heavenly Saint for saving my life!” she shouted. Whoa - such manners. Though she named my cultivation wrongly, I didn’t correct her and took out a bottle of medicinal salve. “P-P-P-P-Prease wise,” I stuttered and shoved the bottle into her hands when she came up from kneeling. Ah! So embarrassing. I hadn’t talked to anyone in thousands of years. My mouth already forgot how to shape sounds. My face flushed with heat. I slapped my cold hands on my red cheeks to help my head cool down and wilted into my clothing. If only I were still in my snail shape. I wanted so badly to shrink back into my shell! “Ah…” the mother confusedly looked at the bottle in her hands. “This…” Giving up on speaking, I directly transmitted into her head, ‘That is a bottle of medicinal salve to use on the injured. They were hurt only because I hesitated to interfere, so please use this to amend my mistakes…’ The mother was the village’s resident doctor and healer, so it was most efficient to give this salve to her. Also, because she raised such an outstanding child, I had no concerns that she would hoard the salve and sell the medicine I made out of my own body. It’s embarrassing to find yourself on the market as a miraculous cure for all ailments and mortal wounds, after all. Having said my piece, I launched myself into the sky and hurtled my way back home, unknowing of the boy who just skidded to a halt in front of his mother, bright eyes tracing my path. For the next few months, the young boy didn’t return to the forest. In my snail form, I nested under a roof tile of a village house. From my perch, I watched the boy diligently rebuild the burned buildings side by side with the adult men. The villagers took the wood of the ancient trees the boy had knocked down. The boy carried the huge logs here and there, cutting them swiftly with the power of his qi. The villagers took the planks and turned them into houses. When that was done, the boy took up a hoe and set to tilling fields. This kind of daily labor persisted for a while. I mostly dozed through it. All of the people who were injured in the attack quickly recovered with the help of the salve. The mother, called Miss Su by the villagers, made it clear that a passing Saint saved them and gave this salve for the villagers’ recovery. Everyone praised the benevolent Saint many times… Hearing this kind of thing was mortifying, so I retracted my senses to only follow the young boy, Su Yulin. He was, overall, a silent individual. He barely ever spoke, mostly nodding, shaking his head, or staring to communicate. I felt kinship with him because of this. At the same time, I was slightly worried. He spent so much time at the village, I wondered if my interference drove him from the path of cultivation back to farming. I comforted myself by keeping in mind that he had just broken through to the sixth rank of mortal cultivation, and might just be taking a rest before starting the long path of to the seventh rank. So I waited, and waited. And fell asleep a couple of times… When I woke, I heard the rare sound of Su Yulin’s voice. “Mother.” His quiet, solemn voice echoed in my head, rousing me from slumber. “Welcome back, Yulin. Are you all done with today’s work?” Miss Su asked, not pausing in her task of grinding medicinal leaves in a bowl. Yulin made a movement my senses showed as nodding. He had a stressed aura around him, seemingly nervous over some matter. I sharpened my senses. The sound of grinding stopped. Miss Su put down the bowl with a thunk. She stood and left the room, rustling around to take out what I felt to be a sharp and high grade sword from a hidden part of the house. Yulin’s aura held a tint of shock. This sword had belonged to Yulin’s father. Miss Su revealed that the father had been a cultivator of Saint rank, but disappeared before Yulin was born. Since then, she had held on to his only memento while raising Yulin by herself. She gave this sword and a pile of money to Yulin. “I’ve always known that you wished to train in a sect,” she said, neither sad nor happy. Simply straightforwardly, as if relaying a fact of life: the sun will rise in the morning, stars will shine in the evening, one day my son will leave. My heart stirred at the elegance of Miss Su. She had long prepared for her son’s future. In a few weeks, a large competition would be held at the Kingdom’s capital. At this event, many sects and schools would reward winning cultivators and examine potential recruits. This kind of thing was most beneficial for poor cultivators who weren’t able to travel to faraway sects by themselves. Yulin wished to attend this event. From this small village to the capital was a traveling distance of exactly two weeks for a sixth-rank cultivator, so Yulin would probably get there just in time if he left immediately. “The bandits…” Yulin was hesitant to leave his home behind unprotected. “Yulin!” Miss Su’s voice turned as sharp as the sword she gave. “With your current strength, do you think you can protect us from everything? What will happen, will happen. There is no path for you if you stay here. As your mother, what I wish is to help my son rise to his fullest potential, not to chain him to the ground.” She took him into her arms and hugged him tightly. “Even if I were to die right now, I would have no regrets. The world may be wide and treacherous, and the obstacles on your path will be many, but Yulin, be strong, be courageous. You have my heart, and your father’s strength. There is nothing for you to fear.” Her voice trembled with just the faintest bit of tears. “I believe… I know that you can overcome anything. Do you understand?” Trembling, Yulin lowered his head while hugging his mother. “… I understand.” That day, Yulin left his village. Naturally, I came along with him. Under a flap of the cloth binding Yulin’s sword, the two snail eyes poked out and waved. ------------------ Next ChapterTable of Contents
Interesting premise. I'm liking it so far. Have you thought about posting this on RoyalRoad or a similar site that hosts original stories? "I sighed. Being the lazy snail I was, I tired from just thinking about carving out another boulder." I think you're missing a word between "I" and "tired"
Thanks for reading!! T o T Only here! The story is still in draft stage so I'd rather keep it in a casual place. Once the story has been finished, edited, and revised, I'll likely try posting it to a wordpress or RRL.
Thank you!! Yes, I researched a lot of the forum threads on NUF about RRL. Conclusion: My delicate glass heart is too afraid to step in there until I am fully armed with edits and a firm written ending to the story. In the line's case I'm using 'tired' as a verb instead of an adjective, but if it sounds too awkward I'll edit the sentence. Thanks for reading through it!
Chapter 2: To Lamane City Yulin made the travel a part of his training. He ran swiftly toward the capital, circulating qi to pump his legs with power and speed. While not exactly the qinggong skill of lightening the body, Yulin’s crude ability made him move much more quickly than a normal human. Carriage and caravan riders gawked at this skinny boy who sped past them faster than a horse’s gallop. When Yulin required rest, he would sit off the road and meditate to restore energy. I also increased the quality of air around him to make this process even faster. We arrived at Lamane City in barely under two weeks. I excitedly peeked out of the sword’s cloth as Yulin approached the city gates. Neither of us had stepped out of the village’s area, so we both took our time looking around. My godly senses covered the entire continent, but I’d had no interest in the world and so never bothered to examine its happenings. The path to Lamane City was paved with smooth grey stones. Neatly pruned and flowering trees stood at the sides of the path, their whitened pink and purple petals fluttering in the air. The scattered sunlight reflected gold off of the white surface of the upcoming city gate’s Pixiu guardian statues. If one had to describe the impression of this grand city entrance, it could only be, ‘Rich’! What a wealthy place! Truly befitting of the royal city where the king of this country resided. A few passerby sent Yulin some odd looks. Yulin stopped gaping and continued on into the city. Passing the great golden doors of the gate, we came into Lamane proper. The tall, vividly colored, and decorated buildings completely contrasted the humble shanties I saw in Yulin’s village. Yulin went to the city center and signed up for the competition at the administrative booth. After, he sought out various inns to accommodate him for the next few days. But, it seemed that every inn was filled to the brim. The ones that weren’t, were far too expensive. There was one inn that had an open room, but even this rundown family-owned inn’s price was so great that we could only afford to stay for a single night. Though, if Yulin had to spend a night outside, it would be fine since I was there to protect him. While Yulin thought over his choices, a group of four martial arts practitioners shuffled into the tiny inn. Their clothes were worn and dirty from the long roads, and they reeked of sweat. Even so, the aura of these youngsters wasn’t bad. They had a friendly and hardworking look to them. The granny owner of the inn warmly greeted this group. Yulin regarded them with his unreadable expression. “Hello, madam! Do you have a room for us to stay in?” a girl called. She had a short red ponytail and a fresh expression. Her charming smile won over the granny. “Of course, we have just one room left. The price is 30 silvers a night,” the granny replied kindly. A relieved burst of chatters came from the group of practitioners. The girl smiled widely, apparently pleased to have found a place within her price range. “Then…” At this moment, she caught sight of Yulin standing to the side. Her gaze took in his travel-worn appearance, and an intelligent understanding flashed in her eyes. “This older brother, you’re also here for the competition, correct? Would you like to share a room with our group?” she asked Yulin. Yulin looked at her with a conflicted and distrusting face, his mouth pursed with contemplation. “Ah, don’t refuse, we’re all brothers and sisters here!” A boisterous and thick youth stepped forward, clapping a hand on Yulin’s shoulder. Yulin’s nose scrunched funnily. “Madam, please lend us your room!” The practitioners paid the 30 silvers and herded themselves up the stairs to their room, bringing Yulin with them. The smallest practitioner looked worried at the stormy-faced Yulin, but his fellows paid him no mind. “This older brother, I am Vita of the Jade Sky sect,” the girl introduced herself with a smile, cupping her fist and bowing politely. “My fellows are Troy,” the large and boisterous boy patted his chest and smiled, “Lauran,” she pointed at a nervous and muttering young man in a corner, “and Derrus.” The small and thin boy waved shyly. Smiling, Vita asked, “Older brother, your cultivation is very high. May I ask which sect you belong to?” Vita herself was an impressive young girl, with a cultivation at the pinnacle of fourth rank. She was just able to sense that Yulin was stronger than herself. The others with her were a bit lacking, all at varying stages of third rank. Yulin shook his head. After a beat, he realized that it seemed as if he rudely wished not to answer them, so he grudgingly stated, “No sect.” “Clan, then?” Vita glossed over the previous tense air. “None.” Troy asked, “Oh! You can at least tell us your name, can’t you?” Vita shoved her elbow in Troy’s stomach without losing her smile. Troy gasped and bent over, suffering greatly. The two other practitioners had no reaction, evidently used to this. With a furrowed brow, Yulin introduced himself. “Su Yulin?” The quiet and small Derrus looked interested. “Your family name is Su, and your birth name is Yulin?” When Yulin nodded, Derrus smiled and explained to the confused Vita and Troy, “This is an ancient-style name mostly found in families descending from the fallen kingdom of Xian. It’s most common in small, rural villages…” he trailed off, glancing nervously at Yulin, most likely worried that he had offended. But Yulin only showed a spark of interest. He himself didn’t know the origins of his name. The next day, Yulin woke early and went outside to begin his morning routine of exercise. He had left his belongings in his room. I stayed behind to protect his things. It wasn’t because I was too lazy to get up before the sun rose. My light dozing was interrupted by the chatter of the practitioners. “Elder sister, is his cultivation really that much higher than yours?” Lauran, who had been immersed in his own world yesterday, asked with open panic. “Mm!” Vita nodded, changing out of her sleep clothes. Despite being in a room full of boys she showed no trace of shyness. “W-W-Which sect could have such a genius? Is he Vinai of Clear Water? Mayrelle of Ash Mountain?!” “He said, no sect! No clan!” Vita stated clearly. “No way!” Lauran bemoaned, “Ah, there are too many impossible people here! How are we supposed to compete? Someone like me, challenging these monsters? No way! No way!” The other practitioners completely ignored him, going about their own routines. But I was annoyed. This guy, please someone shut him up. My eyes bulged out of my shell and waved furiously. “He must be hiding his identity!” With that cry, Lauran launched himself toward Yulin’s part of the room. “Lauran!” Vita angrily grasped the back of his collar. Like scolding a dog, “Stop!” Lauran whimpered. “Ah…” Derrus suddenly said in alarm. Vita and Troy looked at him curiously. Lauran, hanging from Vita’s fist, only whined at the floor. Derrus raised his arm and pointed at Yulin’s sword. Specifically, he pointed at me. Ah, whoops! I shrank back into my shell, but it was too late. I had been seen. Vita, pale-faced, dropped Lauran with a thud and stumbled away. Troy and Derrus, on the other hand, shuffled closer with open interest on their faces. “What was that?” Troy whispered loudly, unable to properly speak at a low volume. “It looked like snail eyes.” Derrus’s vision was really too sharp! “I-If there’s a pest in here, get rid of it!” Vita fervently looked around to make sure there weren’t any crawlies near her. I was a little hurt. I’m not an ugly, scary snail. Please don’t call me a pest. Derrus and Troy inched closer while Lauran sat, rubbing his sore butt. Panicked, I crawled back further into the cloth. Thankfully, Yulin had finished his exercise. He bounded up the steps of the inn and into the room just as Troy reached for the flap of cloth. Everyone froze. Yulin took in this scene of the two practitioners huddling in front of his sword. He narrowed his eyes dangerously, mouth thinning in anger. At this moment, Vita shrieked, “Did you guys get rid of it yet?!” She had cocooned herself in blankets as protection against this terrifying snail me. “Um…” Derrus retreated, dragging Troy back with him. “Brother Yulin, we saw some sort of bug on your sword, please check it out.” Crisis averted. Shooting them a suspicious expression, Yulin stomped to the sword and brazenly threw back the flap. Ah! I squirmed inside my shell. This was the first time Yulin had ever seen me. I really hoped he wouldn’t exclaim in disgust and toss me away. Shivering, I waited for his reaction. Even though I was a god, my snail instincts took over and made me placidly curl up. Why didn’t I run! Yulin gazed at me for a good few seconds. His fierce eyes softened. I was surprised to feel his fingers lightly stroke the pattern on the top of my shell. He flipped the cloth back to cover me and turned back to the other practitioners. “It’s mine,” he said. Dumbfounded, the other practitioners had nothing to say. After morning breakfast, Yulin took me and the sword out for a walk around the city. I was happy, so happy! I wiggled my eyes around the air. I didn’t know why I was so happy, but I knew that if Yulin were to have rejected me earlier, I would have been unbearably sad. In my joy, I crawled onto Yulin’s shoulder. He shot a curious glance at the feeling, but smiled when he saw me. See! My good mood was so strong that it could even affect this stone-faced little cultivator. It might have been strange to see a young man walk around with a snail on his shoulder in any other town. But, because so many cultivators had gathered in Lamane, everyone was used to seeing people riding or carrying around strange magical beasts. Only powerful cultivators could tame magical beasts to be their servants, so having an impressive beast was a sign of status, strength, or wealth. Yulin didn’t waste his time. With only cultivation on his mind, he visited stores which sold spiritual pills. Even a bottle of the cheapest pills was worth several silvers, so he didn’t buy anything. But it was a good reference for how much wealth cultivators were expected to have. Since cultivators were much more powerful than average humans, they were highly sought after for protection against magical beasts, demons, and other humans. Cultivators who specialized in pill-making could make cures for numerous diseases, and cultivators with magic could decimate cities if they so wished. Truly, any cultivator’s services weren’t cheap. Even if Yulin didn’t get into a sect for some inconceivable reason, he could make a living as a roaming mercenary. While Yulin continued to browse the pills, a beautiful and heavenly man swept into the market. He was an adult, much taller than Yulin’s half-grown state, with elegant flowing hair and a regal attitude. Many of the cultivators present bowed respectfully to him. Yulin, unaware, merely continued staring with frustrated brows at the two bottles held in his hands. I waved my eyes in the air, taking in the presence of this man. He had thick spiritual power. Actually, this man was a mid-level Saint. In a realm which hadn’t produced immortals for thousands of years, he was a worldly treasure. But, compared to me, he was still very weak. His keen eyes took a fraction of a second to assess the market. When his gaze landed on me, a small flicker of interest passed through his face. He gracefully approached. Sensing something troublesome, I sunk back into my shell. “Excuse me.” The man’s voice was pleasantly deep. Just a little bit, I envied his confident and manly tone. My own voice was airy and timid. It was very vexing. Yulin, finally noticing the presence of this guy, turned around warily. He tensed with apprehension. Yulin’s instincts were sharp enough to tell him how powerful this man was even if Yulin couldn’t sense him. The man politely smiled, though his impression was entirely cold. He pointed lazily at the snail me on Yulin’s shoulder. “How much?” Yulin just stared for a beat, uncomprehending. His face flickered with sharpness. “Not for sale.” Unperturbed, the man asked, “Where did you obtain this creature?” Yulin shrugged warily. The surrounding cultivators sweated intensely. They knew that this elegant man was a Saint. If you offended someone with such power, you wouldn’t even have time to say your regrets. The man’s gaze turned colder. Just when I started to worry, a delicate and cute voice called out, “Big Brother Zen!” A breathtakingly pretty girl skipped into the market. Her hair was done up in the pattern of a butterfly, with many hanging ornaments and jewels shaking back and forth. Her pink robes made her look like a frilly flower, lovely and ephemeral. The girl latched onto the Saint’s arm with a happy bounce. The Saint’s coldness instantly disappeared, replaced with gentle warmth. The girl caught sight of me and beamed. “Wow! That shell is so pretty!” She bent closer to take a look, admiring, “The faint pink and blue color looks like the sky at sunrise, the white dots like clouds and the golden pattern the rays of the sun! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful!” She said such an embarrassing description. It made the me inside flush. However, being praised was certainly better than being called a pest. “I’d love to see the snail which has this kind of shell! If it’s not too much trouble, could you ask your magical beast to come out for me?” she asked cutely, tilting her head with wide eyes. Ah, this girl certainly knew how to use her looks to the fullest. Yulin looked annoyed. With a laughing voice, the Saint said, “May, this little snail isn’t a magical beast. It’s just a normal snail.” And then, with glittering eyes, he turned back to Yulin. “If you like it so much, ge can give it to you as a present.” He silently put spiritual pressure on Yulin. Yulin hissed, bearing the bone-aching pressure. A normal human would have died immediately, but Yulin could just barely keep up without spitting blood. What a bully! This guy was so arrogant. Since he’s only a Saint, he couldn’t sense the spiritual power of this me who is a God in hiding. Because of that, he assumed that this me who exuded no power was just a normal pet, and thought he had the right to steal me away from Yulin. How could I let this tyrant bully Yulin? I dispelled the pressure and wiggled out of my shell, angrily waving my eyes at this stupid Saint! Shock crossed his ugly face. Humph! “Waa~” The girl squealed. “So cute! Look at how elegantly frilled its white body is. The snail looks like it’s made of an elegant lady’s dress.” She pleadingly looked at Yulin, unaware of the bullying her dear Saint just inflicted on him. “Would you be willing to sell this snail to me?” Yulin, his mouth clenched to hold back blood, stiffly shook his head. “Not. For. Sale!” he bit out. The Saint, recovered from shock, narrowed his eyes. “You…” The girl frowned and interrupted, “Stop it, Big Brother Zen. If he said no, it’s no. It’s not good to take things away from people.” Ah! What a good girl, what good common sense. If only this stupid Zen had the same morals you have. With one last yearning glance at me, the girl bade goodbye and dragged the ugly Saint away. Good riddance. I crawled into Yulin’s shirt, letting my slime sink into his chest. It was only a subtle thing, but my medicinal power would softly heal his internal wounds. Yulin sighed when the Saint left, rubbing my shell gently from the front of his shirt and setting off again. We returned to the inn, where Yulin sat on the floor and spent the rest of the day meditating. Tomorrow the competition started. ------- Next Chapter -> <- Previous Chapter Table of Contents Bonus: Rough illustration of the snail + human form. The outfit is inspired by male and female clothing from the Tang dynasty nobility. Spoiler Next chapter is already written, but there will be a delay in posting as I write the fourth chapter. In chapter 3: Some important characters are introduced. We learn a little more about snail's life. Yulin continues to have no social skills. Spoiler: Chapter 3 Teaser “My, my. Looks like you couldn’t get away.” Framing her face with her hands, she mockingly gasped in horror. “Whatever shall you do? I’m sure you’ve noticed that I won’t just let you go…?” Yulin fiercely glared at her. He took a few steps back to increase the distance between them. For him, who knew nothing about the woman in front of him, this was probably a dire situation where he had been trapped by an overwhelmingly strong, unknown opponent. I sadly drooped on his shoulder. Sorry Yulin… Harl smiled. She tapped a finger against her chin. “But,” she said, dragging the word out, “If you can land a single hit on me, then maybe I’ll consider letting you free.” Yulin narrowed his eyes in consideration. “On the other hand,” Harl continued, a wide smirk growing on her face, “If you really can’t score a hit no matter how hard you try, then, I think I’ll be taking that snail of yours.”
Added some directory at the bottom of the posts! This should come in handy at later chapters. (Also figured out how to edit thread title.) I hope you guys like the snail's looks ( ´ ▽ ` )9 I'd like to draw a cover picture for the story, too. Maybe after the ten or fifteen chapter mark.
Oh, I didn't expect the snail to be a girl. I imagined a guy snail this whole time. Oops, now the line "Being the lazy snail I was, I was tired from just thinking about carving out another boulder" sounds even more awkward with the repeated "I was." Maybe use "grew" instead of "was"?
Boy or girl isn't particularly certain, but the appearance is definitely femininely cute. /lover of cute things Ah, 'grew' is a good choice for that sentence! I'll use it. Thank you very much! > O <)/
Intriguing, nicely written, no glaring mistakes. But, but the snail's human avatar! How could it be a snail if the human form didn't carry a backpack! Hachikuji Mayoi!
WAaa wow you read it, thank you so much! T_T) I often read your reviews when choosing my next binge novels. They're always very helpful. Okay! Snail put on a backpack.